Woods' Open dreams slipping away after triple bogey

• By Jay Coffin
• Jul 22, 2012 11:01 AM ET

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Tiger Woods was peppered all week with questions about his conservative game plan, asked why he constantly hit iron off the tee which left larger distances into greens, making birdie more difficult.

It’s ironic that Woods’ week essentially ended Sunday at the British Open when he made an aggressive call and tried to play a bunker shot up against the face from a fried egg lie on the par-4 sixth hole.

Woods failed to get the ball out of the bunker, hit the second bunker shot while outside of the bunker and ultimately made triple-bogey 7. He was seven shots behind leader Adam Scott at the time, too far back to contend with windy conditions at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

TV commentators wondered why Woods wouldn’t have taken an unplayable lie in the bunker. He’d have to add a stroke penalty and still hit from the bunker, but he’d have a much better chance to get up and down for bogey.

Instead Woods hit the shot, it hit the riveted face of the bunker and nearly hit him before landing on the left side of the sand. On the next shot Woods was in an awkward position out of the sand where he was on his left knee with his right leg fully extended. The ball barely got out of the sand and ended 40 feet from the pin. Woods three-putted for triple bogey, missing a 4-footer for double.